Open Shelving Kitchens: Organizing Top Tips! I love designing open shelving in kitchens, but my clients always ask me, “What do you do with the stuff?” Read today’s post to find solutions to this common design dilemma!

With Spring starting to arrive here at my home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, I thought I'd share with you a few of the Dutch doors I like best, a top tip on how to keep the insects out, and curate some beautiful quality #DoorstepDecor items you might want to buy for your own homes this Spring!

From a practical perspective, Dutch doors are a perfect solution if you have small children and pets as it keeps them safe inside, while allowing a fresh breeze to infuse your home with the wonderful smell of your garden in bloom.

My very favorite image of a Dutch door is the one shown in the opening image and in a close up view, below. Most often we see the classic *modern farmhouse* Dutch door style with the X on the lower door, but by using flat panels on the doors, as shown below, they take on a tailored, more modern appearance I love.

One of the questions I'm most frequently asked about dutch doors by my interior design clients is: "How do I protect my home against insects and debris, if I leave the top half open?" The answer to that is with a retractable mesh screen or a custom made mesh screen, as shown in the image below.

TIP: Phantom Screens is a great resource for retractable mesh screens that can be painted any color, and trimmed with many types of wood and various types of mesh.

The next image shows you double Dutch doors in the traditional X modern farmhouse style, surrounded by beautifully executed classical architectural moulding. (By the way, if you missed my post on moulding mistakes, see it here).

Some purists might not like this combination, and, although I would have painted the outlet covers the same color as the walls and specified all of the hardware - including the hinges - in the same finish, I think it works thanks to the addition of the classic grey and white marble checkerboard flooring that ties the styles together.

However, because there are different styles of Dutch doors, as you're seeing from the images I'm showing you here, you will want to think carefully, if you're a homeowner reading my post, about the panel and glass pane combination (those glass panes are know in industry lingo as *lites*) you select so your dutch door blends beautifully with both the exterior and interior architectural style of your home.

This is where hiring a professional interior designer to help you make that type of decision might be a wise investment, if you feel overwhelmed by the choices and don't want to make an expensive mistake.

I thought it would be fun to show you a very similar Dutch door style (it might even be the same one, I'm not sure) as the one above, but in a completely different context. This one is painted in Benjamin Moore's Peppermint Pink and is the front door of the vacation home of interior designer Bailey Quin McCarthy.

I really like the symmetry here of the two bevelled glass panes on either side of the Dutch door, the two outdoor hanging wall lanterns and the two clay planters flanking the custom door mat.

And now, are you ready to go shopping for some spring #doorstepdecor for your own homes, including beautiful outdoor lighting?

BUT...BEFORE I TAKE YOU SHOPPING FOR OUTDOOR WALL LIGHTING, SOMETHING TO CONSIDER...

Please look carefully at how much space is on either side of your outdoor electrical outlet to insure that what you buy will fit, and double check that the proportions will look right and be in scale with your door and the other elements of your front entrance. If you need some help figuring this out, please feel free to contact me for an *over the phone* professional design consultation, here.

Also, although there are less expensive outdoor wall lights than the ones you will see below, I have curated the best quality outdoor wall lights here for you, from design oriented manufacturers, so you can be assured if you buy one of these from me on the numbered links below the image, it will be beautiful, it will last and it won't look or feel cheap when you receive it.

To me, nothing says, *Welcome To My Home* better than a kid friendly, pet friendly painted Dutch door with a custom doormat that says, "Come As You Are " and buckets of fresh herbs and flowers in bloom!

Thank you all for reading! I appreciate you. If you haven't yet, I invite you to subscribe to my blog to receive my free 4 page magazine, *Your Kitchen Remodeling Success Guide", (see the description below this image for instructions how to download) and I invite you to connect with me on Instagram, here.

To RECEIVE, please click over to the right of This Page and enter your email address to subscribe to my blog. As soon as you confirm your subscription, a button will pop up. JUST click it to download!

Moulding mistakes like the one shown below, where the door casing doesn't go all the way to the floor are quite common in homes where a professional interior designer has not been involved.

These are just the kinds of mistakes my clients pay me to help them avoid, (and why they hire me, right at the start of their projects, to be part of the team with their remodeler or builder! ) as my clients don't like paying for expensive change orders when bad mistakes like this could have been avoided! Unfortunately for this homeowner, the trim had to be removed, re-purchased, and the walls had to be re-sheetrocked, re-primed and re-painted!

If I'd been involved in designing this home from the beginning, my design fee would have been covered, just by helping this homeowner avoid this #mouldingmistake!

For me, mouldings are one of the primary tools I use to add architectural interest and beauty to my clients' homes. After getting my degree in interior design 6 years ago, I now love taking the classical principles I learned and interpreting them in the homes I design for my clients, many of whom are millennials. They appreciate that I know the principles of classical design, but am able to apply those principles to their homes, in ways that feel fresh and modern to them.

I've also used mouldings in my own home, as you can see below, when I participated in Calling It Home's #OneRoomChallenge and chose the office area my husband and I both share, to re-do.

As you can see below, I used applied architectural mouldings to add definition and a sense of rhythm to this large room that my husband and I share. Guess which desk is mine?

Clue: a pinnable image of it is farther down this post, but please don't miss reading the rest of the post to see some more examples of #mouldingmistakes!

For those of you who are homeowners, here is a diagram of what each piece of interior trim is named, based on the classical origins of interior trim. I know my clients appreciate being able to know the *lingo* of my business with respect to interior architectural mouldings as it helps us communicate better, and I hope this diagram helps you, too.

Another common mistake I see in architectural mouldings is when the chair rail is too high and out of proportion with the height of the room.

For a room with 9 -10 ft. ceiling heights, chair rails should be about 24" off the floor. Often, you will see chair rails much higher, perhaps 36" or so off the floor, and when you do, something about the room will not *feel right* to you. It's because that chair rail is out of proportion with the height of the room, even though it may be functional.

Here's an image of a chair rail that is too high for the height of the room and, in addition, the chair rail is out of alignment with the trim around the window, AND the chair rail stops in a very awkward way. Notice how there is also baseboard trim, but no crown moulding for balance.

Just so you can see how chair rail should be proportioned, this dining room design by Connecticut based interior designer, Lynn Scalo Designs, below, is a perfect example.

Don't you just feel better, looking at this dining room, than you do the room above? This is the difference that working with a professional interior designer can make, who understands how to proportion spaces, and is trained in doing so. It makes such a big difference in how you and your family, friends and guests can feel in your home. And most of the time, you're not even aware of why you feel better!

USING ARCHITECTURAL MOULDINGS IN FRESH WAYS.

You know what they say, when you know the rules, you can break the rules - and the results will often be unexpected and glamorous!

Two examples that have inspired my own interior design work are below.

The first is how interior designer Suzanne Kasler injected modern glamour into this dining room she designed for the 2016 Southeastern Showhouse by playing with scale! I love how she designed these oversized, white lacquered architectural mouldings for the ceiling. What a fabulous backdrop for that chandelier!

Here's the whole room, as featured in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle Magazine.

Are you all noticing how the entire room is sheathed in moulding? Isn't it beautiful?

Another example is by interior designer, Celerie Kemble, who used color, paint and architectural mouldings in a fresh way to turn this Park Avenue dining room in NYC into a library, too, when it's not in use as a dining room. I love this - do you?

I cannot wait until I have a client who will let me go as bold as the designs above!

Until then, I am grateful for my clients, like the one below, who trusted me when I suggested we use custom panelling to make their dining room stand out as a separate room from their family room, as shown below, and custom crown moulding, to tie it all together.

And now, did you guess what desk was mine? It's the green one! I applied architectural moulding to the walls, to give our large room a sense of gravitas, proportion and rhythm.

My husband and I love the space and our 3 kids often curl up on the couch while we work.

And, now, if you'd like to read a great book, which will help you learn all about architectural mouldings and more, please buy this one, by clicking here . If you do buy it, please know I will make a tiny commission.

It has a foreword by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales and has been highly recommended by Brent Hull, the country's most respected authority on classical architectural mouldings.

Here's a little bit from one of its reviews on Amazon:

"Cusato’s book is laid out extremely well (as you’d expect). She explains why you need this book: in short, simply to understand the language of architecture, without which incoherence results. She then lays out nine rules around which all traditional design revolves..... completed with precise explanations and exquisite drawings showing the topic under discussion.

Cusato devotes a chapter to each important part of a house, beginning with Schematic Design (massing, symmetry, unity and duality, proportions, inflections). She discusses in great detail the classical Orders (Doric, Tuscan, Corinthian, etc.), explaining their origins and characteristics. These two chapters form the backbone of the book. Subsequent chapters go into more detail on specific parts of the house: Arches and Pediments; Windows; Exterior Doors; Entrances; Porches, Balconies and Railings; Roofs; Cornices and Eaves; Chimneys; Interiors; Materials and Methods.

In each chapter, Cusato explains the basics of construction (and history) of the element. She then shows clear versions of each element to avoid and versions to use, annotated in detail. I cannot emphasize enough how clearly Cusato manages to make each discussion, without dumbing it down or giving short shrift to any aspect."

And if you're a designer friend reading this, don't you think your design library should have this book? Here's the link again to buy it:

If you all would like to keep getting my blog posts in your inbox each month, please subscribe to my blog by clicking here! If you do, you will receive my free 4 page mini-magazine, shown below, as my thank you gift to you!

As many of you know, I just returned from attending the National Kitchen and Bath Association's annual wholesale tradeshow in Orlando, FL. I had such a great time meeting so many wonderful people. I can't thank the 6 sponsors, Wilsonart, Metrie, Mr. Steam, and the Lixil family of brands, American Standard, DXV and Grohe, the subjects of this post, enough, for their hospitality and for creating the beautiful products that allow me to produce the interiors I do for my clients, like this eat in kitchen area, shown below.

Like many of my clients (and maybe like you, too?), I am not only an interior designer, but the mother of 3 children under the age of 11. I don't have a lot of extra time, and neither do my clients.

As a result, I am always looking for those products that save my clients time, make their lives easier, more functional, more personalized, while at the same time adding those special moments of beauty they need every day in the midst of the clothes needing to be folded, (did you see the piles of clothes I came home to, needing to be folded?), showers and baths given and taken, dogs needing to be washed, etc.

So, in the spirit of that, I'd like to show you 6 products, today, one from each of these sponsors, that I loved, and will definitely be specifying in my next projects.

First up is Wilsonart. If the word *laminate* brings to mind images of your Mom's old countertops in your kitchen, ( do you remember the ones with the boomerangs in them, in pastel colors? ) you can ditch that vision right now!

Wilsonart is way ahead of the game in using cutting edge digital printing technology that makes using and specifying their products a breeze.

The image opening this post is one that I took, and shows you how their new *Material Mixology* palette can be used to create an entire area that is not only personalized and beautiful to look at , but easy to clean, too. Just wipe it down and you're done. It's the ultimate in visual sophistication combined with kid friendliness - a win in my Mom book!

Take a look at this finish available in Wilsonart's new *Materials Mixology* collection. Would you know this wasn't real herringbone wood? I can definitely seeing using this on a countertop application, too, soon, since it can be cleaned so easily.

We saw quite a few herringbone countertops at #KBIS2018 - a coming design trend for 2018.

Speaking of wood, that leads me to share with you about my next sponsor, Metrie. Their new Option M is a curated collection of moulding and interior door combinations that make it easy for me to select coordinating baseboards, casings, crown moulding and doors to achieve looks frequently requested by my clients, whether that's new traditional, modern farmhouse, bohemian, or shabby chic.

Having this ability to show my clients (who are some of you reading this!), what different moulding combinations will look like allows me to save you money by cutting down on the time required to make decisions about an area of design that is not well understood.

Personally, I love their New Traditional series best, shown below. Isn't it great how they specify what each piece of moulding is called, so you can easily understand what I am talking about when I am recommending we add architectural mouldings to the plain walls in your home to add more nuance and elegance?

To see all of their Option M styles, click here, and then come back and let me know in the comments, which one you liked best!

That brings me to my sponsor, Mr. Steam. But, before I go there, did you know you can specify Wilsonart's new Wet Walls laminate in your Mr. Steam shower area? This new innovation from Wilsonart means: no grout lines!

And for my busy Mom clients that means: no extra cleaning of the mold that can accumulate on grout lines - especially important if a Mr. Steam shower is in your future - which, by all means, it should be..as you will soon see.

Okay fellow Moms, who doesn't need a steam shower, complete with aromatherapy and chromatherapy (color shifting) options after a long day at work, and driving your kids back and forth to activities? Doesn't this look just like what we all need - right now???

What I love best, though? That you can turn it on, so it's ready for you when you get home, from your IPhone or Android device, using their SteamLinx mobile app. I love companies that think about how to save my clients time. Thank you, Mr. Steam!

Because I do so many remodels in my area, I really liked Grohe's Retro Fit Shower System. For clients on a tight time frame, or on a tighter budget, this option is ideal, because it doesn't require breaking any existing tile, and it works with existing plumbing behind the wall.

Watch a video about this system, below, to see how it works. Could this be a good solution for your home? If it is, reach out to me, here, and let's talk about getting one installed for you.

Now onto Lixil's DXV brand. DXV is well known as THE innovator in the luxury bathroom arena. They were the first company to ever use 3D printing technology to produce a working faucet, available for sale to the general public.

At this show, though, what I most loved was their new MODULUS collection of bathroom fixtures and accessories. Especially for my clients that prefer a more urban design aesthetic, and for those that have second homes, the flexibility and modularity of this line makes it very easy to place in bathrooms and powder rooms where space may be at a premium.

As you might have read by now, everything black and moody is trending in the world of design and I appreciated how DXV's images showcase how their finishes work in this type of setting. (Notice the mouldings on the wall, too. I don't think these were supplied by Metrie, but they might have been).

I also loved their wall hung toilet, making it very easy to keep the area around the toilet clean, something that all my Mom clients and friends know ranks right up there in importance with being able to easily clean the bathtub without breaking our backs!!

And isn't it interesting seeing their MODULUS collection against a grey background, with no mouldings on the wall, too? Which look do you prefer? Let me know!

Lastly, from Lixil's American Standard brand, myself (and all of my new designer friends on #BlogTourKBIS with me) fell in love with their new Spectra+ Touch and Spectra+ eTouch showerheads.

Each of us liked aspects of these new shower heads for different reasons, but for me, and for my clients, I loved the Spectra+ eTouch's shower head's remote control, that can mount anywhere within the shower area.

You might ask who needs a remote control for a showerhead, but many of my clients, who have young kids, and are down on the ground bathing them, or who are bathing their pets in their bathtub, or who have parents using the shower, who have mobility issues, will appreciate having this remote control at their fingertips, so they don't have to get up and down to adjust the intensity of the showerhead spray, after someone else has used the shower area, as everyone likes to be able to personalize their shower settings to get the intensity they prefer.

I look forward to hearing about what you all think, and I'd love it if you would share that with me in the comments.

And a final big thank you to you, Veronika Eagleson, the CEO and owner of www.modenus.com, who invited me to go on your #BLogTourKBIS, where I had the time of my life meeting so many wonderful new interior designer friends from all over North America, and where I was able to get to know all of your sponsors and their products in so much more depth than otherwise would have been possible.

I know I am richer for the experience, and my clients will be, as well.

Readers, if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments, and if you all would like to, I invite you to connect with me on Facebook here, and on Instagram, here.

What You Don't Want To Leave Out Of Your Next Kitchen Remodel? As a wife and a busy mom of three under 11, and a professional interior designer, I am always on the lookout for the new products I can recommend to my clients ( many of whom are also busy Moms and Dads like many of you might be ), products to make their kitchens more enjoyable, functional, personalized, (like the new art wrapped refrigerator from #BlogTourKBIS sponsor, Thermador, shown below ), convenient and beautiful!

I recently returned from a trip to the National Kitchen and Bath Associations's annual wholesale tradeshow in Orlando, and today I am going to share with you the products from Thermador that I believe my clients (and perhaps some of you who are reading this post, too), will absolutely want to have in your new kitchen remodeling projects.

Before I share with you my top pics for your homes from Thermador, though, I am obliged by law to share with you that my trip to KBIS was sponsored, meaning my hotel and travel expenses were paid for, although I am receiving no monetary compensation for what I am about to share with you.

I felt so lucky to be chosen to be a part of this group of 25 interior designer/bloggers/influencers who went on www.modenus.com 's 2018 #BlogTourKBIS, where we were given an in-depth sneak peek look at all of the newest introductions for your kitchens and bathrooms.

I met wonderful women from all over the country who share my passion for interior design, but who each have their own distinct viewpoints. We learned so much from each other and had a lot of fun together, while at the same discussing which vendor/exhibitors provided our clients with the best service, warranties, etc. This kind of information sharing was invaluable for all of us.

Here are my top pics for what I think my own clients, and all of you who are busy Moms like me, will find most useful from Thermador when you get ready for your next kitchen remodel or new build.

1. Thermador's combination steam and convection oven, with its built in warming drawer, is my first *must have* recommendation.

Why? If you're like me, often our children need to (or want to) eat at different times and having a built in warming drawer like this helps us all to save time by keeping their food warm versus having to take it out and reheat it again.

Thermador's new CULINARY LIVING series includes two models: it's Professional Series model, shown above, with its bold detailing, and its Masterpiece Series, which is designed to sit flush with your cabinetry.

I also love their new graphite grey glass, which is right on trend with the modern farmhouse look that is so popular right now.

Here you can see my Longleaf project, which incorporated some of the *modern farmhouse* design elements my clients here in North Carolina loved so much, like mixed materials, grey barstools, industrial lighting, a trough sink, horizontal wood plank floors, white subway tile and open shelving.

Although my clients didn't select a Thermador cooktop and oven for this kitchen, I will definitely steer future clients in Thermador's direction, after seeing all the innovations Thermador had to offer at #KBIS2018.

2. The next *must have* for your kitchen remodel is Thermador's new * The Entertertainer's Dishwasher.*

You're probably not much different than I am when you entertain your family and friends and their children - especially during the holidays. After a big meal with wine, or even after a party, we are all usually stuck handwashing and hand drying all of those delicate stems, right?

Not anymore! Thermador's new *The Entertainer's Dishwasher* is specially made to hold up to 24 wine stems!

From Thermador's site, "With a time-less configuration to maximize capacity for wine glasses, cocktail glasses and more, The Entertainer's Dishwasher offers peace of mind while you wash even the most delicate items. This dishwasher features a gentle cycle that won’t break or damage glasses, with a no-slip, soft rubber lower rack and adjustable stands specifically designed to keep stems secure. The rack stands are fully adjustable at multiple levels to accommodate different heights and sizes of your glasses. And on the top rack, conveniently wash utensils, small plates, bowls and more, while introducing a new specialty cutlery basket for your small entertaining utensils."

Do you all love this as much as I do?

3. I admit it. I am a coffee snob. I love trying new coffee drinks. If you do, too, this is the 3rd *must have* product from Thermador I am recommending to include in your kitchen remodel.

This product makes it so fun and easy to personalize your coffee as it gives you the ability to select from 18 pre-programmed coffee drinks and it also has an info wheel that shows you how to combine favorite aromas and scents to help pick the coffee beans that best fit your coffee style!

I would love to have a brunch party or bridal or baby shower for my friends where we all try out new coffee drinks together! I can totally envision how much fun I would have creating the invitations for it now. Can you? Would you come if I send you one?

4. The final product from Thermador that I think is a *must have* for your next kitchen remodel is this one, Thermador's *Freedom Induction Cooktop.*

This groundbreaking product holds more than 30 international patents and has the largest surface area of any cooktop on the market. It allows you to use the entire surface for cooking. No more worrying about which pan fits where, or if you can cook multiple dishes on the cooktop at the same time.

Have children that want spaghetti and you and your partner want teriyaki? You can make both of them at the same time, on the same cooktop!

This induction cooktop allows you to place almost any size pan, anywhere on the cooktop, and the heat sensors will sense the pan's placement, and heat the food evenly! You can move the pan, and the heat mapping user interface automatically recognizes the size, shape and position of the cookware to deliver the same amount of heat evenly and quickly to the desired location.

In addition, this cooktop boils water faster than any other cooktop on the market, a bonus for those of you who don't like to use a microwave for boiling water.

I love using Thermador's products in my design work, and have recommended them for years. Getting to see all of their new introductions, up close and personal, was such a treat for me, and I hope you all have enjoyed learning about some of their new products.

Thank you, Veronika of www.modenus.com for including me in my first #BlogTourKBIS experience. I will never forget it. That's me on the far right in my pink trench coat, with my new friends, Sheri, Sarah and Jennifer, who were also on #BlogTourKBIS with me. This image is courtesy of Sarah, who is also an interior designer on the East Coast, at www.chansaeraedesigns.com

And Thermador, thank you for bringing such innovative, useful products to market for my clients and the readers of *Casually Tailored.* I hope they find the other articles on your blog, www.thermador.com/blog useful, if they want to learn even more.

Readers:

If you are planning a kitchen remodel or new build anytime soon, and would like to have me help you plan it out and design it, I invite you to contact me here, or on Facebook, here, or Instagram, here.

And if you would please consider PINNING this image of my work below, I would very much appreciate it, or if you would simply like to connect with me on Pinterest, please find me, here.

If you are new to my blog -Hello and welcome! I’m Jana Donohoe, a full time interior designer, and part time blogger.

I have officially finished my third One Room Challenge and it feels great! Thank you to everyone who followed along these last 7 weeks and for cheering me on.

For those not familiar with the One Room Challenge it is a biannual event (October and April) where 20 invited design bloggers makeover a room in 6 weeks and blog about the process *good and bad* every Wednesday. Guest participants are welcome to join in on the fun and share their process and journey every Thursday for 6 weeks. -That’s me!

It's always fun to see how far a room has come so we will start with the good 'ol before photos.

This was a play room (toy disaster) prior to becoming my daughters new bedroom.

BEFORE

AFTER

A big thank you to Linda from calling it home for organizing this challenge. Without this challenge I don't think my home would ever receive any attention. There is nothing like a good challenge to get me to make time for my own home.

Please be sure to check out the amazing transformations of the Featured Designers who had their big reveals yesterday. And all the Guest Participants who joined in on the fun who will reveal their rooms today. If you are in need of some inspiration look no further – some serious talent and gorgeous rooms in this bunch. Be sure to follow #oneroomchallenge on Instagram for all the challenge updates. You can follow me on Instagram here too!

I really hope you enjoyed seeing the progress and final results over the last 7 weeks. I absolutely love all your comments, so keep them coming and let me know what you think.

If you are new to my blog -Hello and welcome! I’m Jana Donohoe, a full time interior designer, and part time blogger.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day! It was so nice to have a few days to relax and enjoy my time with my family. It was also nice that my house felt a little less chaotic and back to it's "normal" layout (like my daughters bedroom is no longer in the living room). :)Yay for finishing the fall ORC.

Here is my daughter's finished space in case you missed the reveal post. See full reveal photos here.

I also want to congratulate everyone for finishing their rooms. There was over 200 entries for the guest participants. If you have some time, grab a cup of coffee, get comfy and check them all out. Some really great stuff! Check them all out here.

I've selected a few of my personal favorites that I thought did such an amazing job and I wanted to share them with you.

1. Laura Design Co. Powder Room

This powder room is absolutely beautiful. The wallpaper and the sink with acrylic legs are just divine. It's the timeless elegance of the space that just really sets this space apart. I can only imagine how happy her clients are to have such a beautiful addition to their home.

This former unused dining room becomes a library and I'm totally crushing on the moody color palette. The wallpaper, painted bookcases, chesterfield and fur throw make me want to cozy up in that room all day long with coffee and a good book or two.

This reveal had me at shades of blue and beautiful design details. I mean look at the nail-head detail mixed with the beautiful acrylic leg. The space looks so bright, colorful and inviting who wouldn't want to hang out there?

Black, white and sprinkled with pink. What more could I ask for? Oh and that super cute pup. I really love how bright and airy this basement turned out. I must be slightly obsessed with floral wallpaper this round because I am swooning over all of them!